An interview with Director General of the Moroccan News Agency (MAP),
Mr. Khalil Hachimi Idrissi

An interview with Director General of the Moroccan News Agency (MAP),
Mr. Khalil Hachimi Idrissi

This year, MAP is celebrating its 60th anniversary. It is a state-financed public media, but a public media that is open to society. "We value multiculturalism, political pluralism and all socio-cultural events that we cover in Morocco," says Mr. Idrissi. He has been MAP's Director General for 8 years, he is a professional journalist, writer and poet.

"As a news agency, we present the facts to our clients without analyzing them. Afterwards, the people are free to comment and analyze in the conditions of democracy. We bring information closer to our clients: this is our main mission. Part of the information is institutional - that's about 10-20% of our product, but everything else is related to the political, economic and cultural life of our country; we support publishers, the film industry, women's causes, we help syndicates and political parties in their activities, and so on. In this sense, we are a tool of diversity."

"Currently, news agencies are facing two major threats. The first one is fake news, which we must counter with real news, presented objectively. Another great challenge for us and our colleagues is digital migration. We all have to adapt to this new digital reality where everything happens momentarily. I like to quote Albert Camus, saying that I'd rather be second and give the correct information, than first with the wrong information. So, instantaneity is a fact, but our job is to be journalists. What does that mean? It means finding information, checking it, putting it in context, explaining it and maybe commenting on it - this is what journalism is all about."

Khalil Idrissi is optimistic about the future of professional journalism. "Only the people who abide by the professional code of ethics can preserve the vitality of our profession, and not just anyone. Many people can read and write, but this doesn't make them journalists. Our profession has a bright future if it remains true to its code of ethics. The media, the providers of information, are currently undergoing a radical change" says Mr. Idrissi. /Boriana Dimitrova/ 08.03.2019
/МТ/